Patient Portal Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to the Patient Portal.

This website is run by East Kent Hospitals NHS University Foundation Trust (EKHUFT). We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts

  • zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen

  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard

  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software

  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

My Computer My Way has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the Non-accessible content section of this statement. 

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille: please e-mail: ekhuft.patient-portal@nhs.net

For general enquiries related to accessible information, please contact the Patient Voice and Involvement team: ekhuft.patientvoice@nhs.net or phone 01227 868605

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: ekhuft.patient-portal@nhs.net

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

East Kent Hospitals is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is not compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. The non-compliances are listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • On Mac OS and iOS mobile with VoiceOver on both Chrome and Safari, the logo icon in the navigation bar as well in some other areas across pages such as at the top of the Preferences pages does not read out correctly to VoiceOver. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A).

  • The individual graphic icons present in appointment listings for calendar, clinician and location are not correctly announced to screen reader users on web or iOS with VoiceOver. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A).

  • The trust logo present on patient information pages does not have alternative text. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A).

  • For Android and iOS mobile, both are not reading the “Application” column heading out for the apps table in user preferences. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A).

  • Apps information tables in user preferences are missing column headings. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A).

  • At the bottom of the communication preferences page there is a Contact us link that is only differentiated from surrounding text through colour. This fails WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Colour (A).

  • For both Android and iOS all pages across the site do not respond well to OS text size adjustments. Only some text will be adjusted with the vast majority including all main content blocks such as the letters or appointments lists not adjusting. This fails WCAG 1.4.4 Resize text (AA).

  • For user emails these may not respond well to text size changes based on email client. This fails WCAG 1.4.4 Resize text (AA).

  • For user emails these may not respond well to different device sizes and reflow based on email client. This fails WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow (AA).

  • The focus state for the letters page controls does not meet contrast requirements. This fails WCAG 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast (AA).

  • WCAG requires that content can respond to user side text spacing adjustments. Many pages across the platform do not respond to user side text space adjustments. This fails WCAG 1.4.12 Text Spacing (AA).

  • On Android with Talkback there is no way to remove and replace text within the pre-populated fields present in the postal address options in user preferences and onboarding. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard (A).

  • Users will be timed out of the system without notification or the option to extend. This occurs for both idle and active users. This fails WCAG 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable (A).

  • There is a skip to content function on the Appointments page only. This function is not matched across the Letters or Preferences pages. This fails WCAG 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks (A).

  • User emails contain URL links without descriptive link text. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (A).

  • When a user incorrectly updates some user preferences or does not correctly complete onboarding questions, error messages are not identified to screen reader users. This fails WCAG 3.3.1 Error Identification (A).

  • The two mandatory fields in the postal address form are not identified to users and contain no visual distinction until an error has occurred causing the notification as to which fields are mandatory. This fails WCAG 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (A).

  • For some of the accessibility preferences customisations both in user preferences and the onboarding journey, selecting certain options in the radio button groupings expands hidden checkbox lists underneath. These checkbox lists are not announced to screen reader users. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A) and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).

  • Account preferences icon just identified as “collapsed” to Android Talkback. For the Letters page version of the account controls menu, the menu has been given tabindex=1. Elements should not ideally have permanently set positive value tab indexes. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).

If you find an issue that we have yet to identify, please contact us using one of the routes described in the ‘Reporting accessibility problems with this website’ section of this statement.

Disproportionate burden

At this time, we have made no claims of disproportionate burden.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

At this time, we have not identified any content that is not within scope of the accessibility regulations. 

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We plan to identify and fix issues on a continuous basis. We are working through fixing the non-compliance issues raised and plan to have this completed by 30/06/2024.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 10/04/2024. We will review every 6 months.

This website was last tested on 04/04/2024. The test was carried out by All Able Ltd.

All pages of the website were tested. Testing was composed of a mixture of manual, semi-automated and assistive technology testing.